Resisting Muslim Ban 2.0

Do not be lulled into complacency by the success of protests against the travel ban issued against seven Muslim countries back in January. Nor by the actions of federal courts in blocking its implementation.

Muslim Ban 2.0 was issued this week to far less fanfare than the original. One concession is the removal of US ally, Iraq from the ban. But make no mistake, it’s still an attempt to keep members of one particular religion out – a clear violation of the Establishment Clause of our Constitution (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…).

The administration of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named may hope to avoid the backlash set off by the first order. Because 2.0 doesn’t apply to current visa holders, we probably won’t see the kind of demonstrations that took place at airports back in Janaury.

But challenges have already been filed by the ACLU, the National Immigration Law Center, and the states of Washington and Hawaii. We should watch for decisions coming down from these lawsuits to learn whether HWSNBN will be allowed to continue insinuating religious discrimination into our country’s immigration law.

While there is no mention of a Muslim registry in this new order, we can only expect that, if left unchecked, the Islamaphobic nature of the current administration will continue in that direction.

Stay informed. Use reliable news sources. Become acquainted with organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Get in touch with your local interfaith council to see how you can support the Muslim community in your area.

Remember, we’re all in this together. If one of us is oppressed, we are all oppressed.